People graduating with master’s degrees in industrial-organizational psychology have many job options available. Common entry-level jobs for new graduates with master’s degrees in industrial-organizational psychology include roles within human resource management, consulting, teaching at the undergraduate level, and related positions. In this blog, I cover three entry-level jobs in industrial-organizational psychology that each has strong employment outlooks over the next 10 years. Job availability depends on many factors, such as economic factors and where you live, but the increase in remote positions available helps more people to have access to entry-level jobs in industrial-organizational psychology.
Industrial Organizational Psychology Entry-Level Jobs: Recruiter
A master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology will prepare you for many jobs in human resource management. Human resource management is a broad field in which professionals may specialize in particular areas or work as a “generalist” across different functions. Those with a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology may find certain roles within human resource management align well with their background and academic training. I cannot cover all of the possibilities in this post, but I will give an example of a Human Resource Specialist job that is highly in demand: recruiter.
Those with master’s degrees in industrial-organizational psychology but who lack professional experience may find jobs in recruitment to be a good match. This job has many titles, such as “Corporate Recruiter,” “Talent Acquisition Specialist,” or “Human Resource Specialist.” When searching for these positions, you may also notice that recruiters often specialize in specific industries, such as health care. If you have previous industry experience and a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology, being a recruiter in your “past life” industry would be a great way to transition your career into an industrial-organizational psychology role.
What Do Recruiters Do?
Recruitment involves identifying candidates for jobs and other tasks, such as screening applications and resumes, interviewing candidates, managing communications between candidates and hiring teams, identifying potential candidates and inviting them to apply or interview for a role, and related tasks. Recruitment jobs can be at different hierarchical levels, with room to advance from entry-level positions to higher leadership roles. For example, you could start with an entry-level role and then move up to a recruitment manager position, then on to a senior manager role. If you lack relevant job experience, consider starting in a recruiter role while planning your next career moves either within recruitment or in other areas of human resource management.
You may also want to consider a career in recruiting if you find the idea of matching people with dream jobs and organizations with good employees motivating. Do you enjoy talking with people and learning about them? Are you a good listener? Do you have strong research and analytical skills? If you answered “yes” to these questions, a recruiter job might be a good fit for you.
What is the Recruiter Employment Outlook?
Human resource specialists, an umbrella term for jobs that involve specializing in a particular area of HR as opposed to being a “generalist,” have a strong job outlook. Over the next decade, jobs in this area are expected to grow at a higher rate than average (by 8 – 10%) in the United States. Consider the job outlook and the options for entry-level positions, recruitment would be an overall great options for someone entering the field of industrial-organizational psychology.
Entry-Level Job #2: Consultant
Graduates with a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology should also consider entry-level consulting jobs. Many big consulting firms that hire industrial-organizational psychology professionals have programs for new graduates wishing to enter the field. Consulting firms come in many different sizes and specializations. There are also many different options for consultants with backgrounds in industrial-organizational psychology. For example, there is talent management, learning and development, change management, strategy consulting, etc…). I cannot cover all of those in this blog. One example of a consulting specialization that would be a good fit for people with industrial-organizational psychology master’s degrees is human capital consulting.
What Do Consultants Do?
Human capital consulting involves working in a consulting firm to help client companies solve people-related problems. Big consulting firms such as Deloitte offer human capital consulting services. Consultant roles and responsibilities within human capital management vary greatly. However, they typically involve working in team-based settings. You would work on a project basis with clients, using your expertise to help them solve problems or manage change.
Consulting roles often involve regular travel, which may be a pro or con, depending on your preferences and life situation. Although, many consulting firms have decreased their travel significantly since 2020. These roles may also involve working irregular schedules, such as long days and more than 40 hours a week. Explore specific job options carefully to ensure you find a good fit for your career goals and lifestyle.
Consulting roles offer great opportunities to gain skills and apply what you have learned in industrial-organizational psychology. You would apply these skills across various work environments, industries, and projects. These jobs provide development experiences for new graduates. Many professionals in the field refer to consulting roles as a second education after graduate school. These positions tend to pay relatively high salaries, even at entry-level.
What is the Employment Outlook for Consultants?
While it is hard to find specific job outlook information on human capital consultants, the related job of “management analyst” is expected to be in high demand going forward. Openings for this role are expected to increase at a higher rate (11% higher) than the U.S. average across jobs.
Entry-Level Job #3: Educator
If education is your passion, consider an entry-level position teaching in higher education. With a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology, you would be well-equipped to teach undergraduate students in higher education. You could teach in a psychology department, or perhaps in related fields, such as human resource management. Higher education comes in many forms. For example, there are community colleges, traditional colleges and universities, technical colleges or colleges on military bases, and online universities. Some universities require faculty members to conduct research as they teach. An entry-level job in a higher education setting would allow you to develop strong presentation, coaching, and assessment skills.
Working with students can be rewarding. If you enjoy research and continuous learning, working in higher education will be conducive to establishing a research career. You would have access to library resources and a learning community, for example. If you enjoy sharing your knowledge with others, consider starting your career with a part-time or full-time teaching role.
What is the Employment Outlook for Post-Secondary Educators?
The job outlook is very good for postsecondary psychology educators, with positions in this job expected to increase above national averages by 8 – 10% in the next decade or so. Non-traditional higher education options, such as online education, are continuing to emerge. This increase will lead to a growing demand for educators to teach the next generation of industrial-organizational psychology students.
Conclusion
In this blog, we explored 3 entry-level jobs you could pursue with a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology. These options may be available even if you lack experience in the field. There are plenty of other options available as well. I plan to explore other options with you in future posts. I hope this article gives you a taste of the possibilities available.
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